Mumbai: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday met the top bankers and heads of the financial institutions as part of his two-day visit to Mumbai with the goal of making UP the growth engine of new India and a one trillion dollar economy.
During his interaction with the bankers, Yogi said, “I know that all of you are not only keeping an eye on your bank but also on our UP. You all are well aware of the situation here. You are both the witnesses and participants of our journey of development.”
He said that UP is the fourth largest state in India by size.” Along with being the state with the largest population, we are also the state having the maximum youth population. Youth is our strength. The fertile land here is an important source of prosperity for our state,” he said.
The CM said, “When our government was formed in 2017, the financial condition of the state was extremely poor. We made some plans and called up the banks, but the credit was so poor that the banks didn’t respond. Today I am delighted to inform you that everything has changed in UP. Today, we are a revenue surplus state. We’ve more than doubled our annual budget.”
He said within the last five to six years, the UP government is developing infrastructure at a rapid pace for better connectivity through air, water, road and rail network, which will help industries to access global and domestic markets. “Today there is Purvanchal Expressway for eastern UP, while the Bundelkhand Expressway is accelerating the progress of the Bundelkhand region, which was once considered backward.”
Yogi said, “To connect the eastern and western regions, we are building the Ganga Expressway from Prayagraj to Meerut. Today, UP has the unique distinction of being the Expressway State with world-class road connectivity.”
He said UP is going to become the only state in the country with 5 international airports. “We were a land-locked state, but now the country’s first inland waterway has been developed here. The country’s largest rail network is in UP,” he said.
The CM said this work of development and transformation would not have been possible without the cooperation of banks and financial institutions. “As a result of your cooperation, the state has been transformed today,” he said.
He said that when the migrant labourers returned to the state during the covid period, people raised questions over their efficiency. “We got everyone’s skill mapping done. Taking inspiration from the Prime Minister, we also mapped the traditional enterprises of the state and made programmes accordingly, so today over 96 lakh MSME units are working, which have become the medium of employment for crores of youth,” he said.
Yogi said the ‘One District One Product’ which is an innovative scheme of UP is giving a unique identity to the products of each district and the government is doing its branding and marketing. “This scheme is proving helpful in increasing our exports,” he said.
He said UP is a massive state so there are many challenges. “These challenges encourage us to set big goals for ourselves and work hard. Our management policy for Covid has been appreciated by many global organisations including the World Health Organisation. Despite all the challenges, UP is moving ahead with its big goals as a power and revenue surplus state today,” he said.
The CM said, “We are working on several industrial projects in the state. One of the two Defence Industrial Corridors being established with the aim of making India self-sufficient in the field of defence production is being developed in UP.”
He said earlier in UP daughters could not come out of the house after dusk as there was an atmosphere of insecurity. “Today I can say with full responsibility that no one can look at any daughter with ill intentions in UP. We have created such an atmosphere that today no goon can collect tax from any businessman or contractor in the state. Even political donations cannot be taken forcibly,” he said.
Yogi said, “We formed the Anti Land Mafia Task Force. The land was vacated from the illegal occupation of the mafia. Today the Defence Corridor is being built on this land. Jewar Airport will be the largest airport in Asia.
You must have heard about the Bhatta-Parsaul incident. There was so much dispute over land! Today, the same farmers are voluntarily giving us land for the airport.”
He said, “We have set a 1 trillion dollar economy goal for ourselves to fulfill the Prime Minister’s target of a 5 trillion dollar economy. This goal will be accomplished only with your cooperation. I have come to tell all of you today that we will offer all possible help to you in UP. We will give resources from everywhere and a better environment. Banking institutions should cooperate with us to strengthen our MSME units, agriculture, FPOs and startups.”
The CM said tourism is also a priority sector, for which cooperation of banks is expected. “Our government is developing the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Buddhist circuits to promote spiritual and cultural tourism.
Bhavya Kashi, the embodiment of the Prime Minister’s vision, has made everyone happy. The divine Ayodhya dream is also being fulfilled,” he said.
He said that the state’s first Medical Device Park has been inaugurated near Yamuna Expressway. “Similarly, Film City, Toy Park, Apparel Park, Handicraft Park, and Logistics Hub are being developed in the Yamuna Expressway area. Other projects being developed include IIT GNL at Greater Noida, Mega Food Park at Bareilly, Trans-Ganga City at Unnao, Plastic Park at Gorakhpur, Garment Park at Gorakhpur and several flatted factory complexes,” he said.
Yogi said, “We have made structural changes in our policies to provide a competitive, attractive and supportive incentive framework. The new industrial policy provides a choice-based model, which encourages production, employment and exports. New sectors are also being encouraged, including circular economy, infrastructure projects and green hydrogen.”
He said, “We have been able to increase the CD ratio from 40 per cent to 53 per cent. Now banks will have to make concerted efforts to bring it up to 60 per cent. We look forward to making any contribution from our side.”
The CM said the PM has termed UP as a state with the potential to be the growth engine of the country. “We are ready to fulfill this responsibility of ours. With your cooperation, UP will be a leading state in every sphere,” he said.
He said, “I invite all of you in UP to make the most of the immense opportunities present in our state and become a partner with us in the journey of the progressive transformation of the state and towards making New India prosperous and powerful.”
